can't select dropdown menu options

[sysms]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): stable latest

• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Debian 11
• Opted into Steam client beta?: [No]
• Have you checked for system updates?: [Yes]

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Since the latest update, I can't choose anymore from the list/dropdown of the compatibility tools.

The list with available compatibility tools opens, but clicking on one of the entries just closes the dropdown, and so it always defaults to "Proton Experimental" on my system (because it's the first entry in the list).

I still can set the compatibility tool from Big Picture Mode - but that currently has other problems (Nvidia user here ;) ).

My system info: https://gist.github.com/sysms/70972bfd68b3ae18cd3c63dc6bb24817

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. select a game from the library -> properties -> Compatibility
2. select "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool
3. click on the dropdown and try to select an available compatibility tool (eg. "Proton 7.0-6" instead of the pre-selected "Proton Experimental"

EDIT: I just noticed it seems to affect ALL dropdown fields in the properties - so I also can't change languages or join betas anymore.

[skwerlman]

Also seeing this on Arch Linux and Gnome. Turning off focus on hover does work around the issue

[talkingerbil]

This is still broken in yesterday's beta release (default beta and sneak peek). Still need to ctrl+click.

[quarantin]

I also confirm this issue on Ubuntu 20.04 when "focus follow mouse" is enabled. Ctrl+click is not working for me, neither shift+click, nor alt+click

[Jeremywp123]

I am having the same issue on steam deck. Currently my only solution is to return to gaming mode, enable proton, then return to desktop mode.

Very annoying.

Also only works in gaming mode, big picture doesn't work either.

[BloodyIron]

So still happening for me. 100% of the time.

[y-salnikov]

ArchLinux, Xorg and openbox with "focus on click". Clicks go right through dropdowns unless with ctr key pressed.

[ErrantOverflow]

Damn, with the new update, even more of the client is straight up unusable.

[Kaioshi]

Yep, was hopeful it fixed it but now even right click menus wont let me select things so I can't even open properties on a game, for example. How has this been a problem since march? Do the developers working on this not actually use linux? Focus follows mouse is pretty common.

[Okxa]

Apparently valve pushed the new client to production and the context menu (and dropdowns) is still not working for me.

On Arch Linux & XOrg.

Steam Version:  1686779606
Steam Client Build Date:  Wed, Jun 14 23:18 UTC -08:00
Steam Web Build Date:  Thu, Jun 15 00:41 UTC -08:00
Steam API Version:  SteamClient020

system info: https://gist.github.com/Okxa/0320d0329ffc6aa32b8982dd957d89f4

EDIT: holding CTRL (or any other modifier key) makes no difference

[sysms]

@Okxa same here for me on an freshly updated Debian 12 (stable).

To activate the items in the context menu (Launch, Properties, whatever) I need to hold down the CTRL-key.

new system info: https://gist.github.com/sysms/3af35f9167cfcbf24f38e2f6368b7705

[sjukfan]

This bug popped up for me in the new release yesterday, since then I've reinstalled the steam client and it's still there. I've been on Debian Bookworm since before release so there hasn't really been any changes locally for the last couple of weeks, except for the Steam update.

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1686880776
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Debian Bookworm
• Opted into Steam client beta?: [Yes/No] No
• Have you checked for system updates?: [Yes/No] Yes (And reinstalled Steam)

[skvili]

Steam client version (build number or date): 1686880776 Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm) Opted into Steam client beta?: No Have you checked for system updates?: Yes Steam Logs: steam-logs.tar.gz GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 When selecting items from drop-down menus, the focus is lost. At first it was only in the Beta and Proton selection sections, but after the update almost all menus behave this way. Now I can't even open the properties of any game. https://youtu.be/EQggtwO7aoM https://youtu.be/3LOpsuQ-W9E

[aclist]

I have this issue with icewm and focus-follows-mouse.

If you navigate very quickly to the properties dialog and click it before the popup despawns, you can sometimes open it (towards end of the video).

Also observe the occasional flickering and artifacts on the upper left hand side of the screen when hovering over nested menus, and the fact that hovering "Add to Favorites" also sometimes causes the right-click dialog to despawn.

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/assets/92275929/28736e0f-70b7-4ea1-a914-a7175f99ce8b

[pinduzera]

This is something with the new client. I moved out of the Beta-branch exactly because of this bug. Now that the new interface went to public, that bug came along, which is weird and bothering that didn't pay attention. Can't uninstall and manage games easily anymore.

Using Gtx 2070s - 525.116.04, on PopOS!

Edit: Just figure out that this happens when you have "Hover on focus" active on gnome at least (using gnome tweaks)

[sjukfan]

ctrl-click works for me on those menus.

[alexzk1]

Arch, openbox, new steam interface - any menus / popups not clickable, click is passed to under-laying item (for example, right click game, click "properties" - instead that it clicks and selects game under menu option "properties"). Holding ctrl allows to select menu's items. It was problem with selection boxes only before. But well, that is WEIRD at least. Also "no-browser" start option is not working any more enforcing this mess.

[skvili]

ctrl-click works for me on those menus.

Oh, indeed ctrl+click works. But it's a creepy cringe. A "serious corporation" can't make a normal interface for its main handcraft=(

[alexzk1]

ctrl-click works for me on those menus.

Oh, indeed ctrl+click works. But it's a creepy cringe. A "serious corporation" can't make a normal interface for its main handcraft=(

Well, this crap is expected when you use browser as base for desktop app. Nothing new or shocking: ms teams, skype, slack, discord, upwork app - all those have different issues - alll because it is html used. They're just saving money on doing normal Qt-based application (for example).

[ChibaPet]

I just opened #9678 without realizing this was here, so that's been closed. That said, additional data after reading comments here:

1. I'm also on Openbox.
2. I use focus-follows-mouse, but on reading that that might be related, I turned it off and verified that it was off, and noted that that doesn't impact the issue for me. Still broken without focus-follows-mouse.
3. Using either control or shift as a modifier DOES select/process the menu selection. I'm deeply grateful there's a workaround prior to the issue being corrected.

Unrelated feedback: Despite this glitch, the new UI does look quite nice. Thank you.

[Lamieur]

3. I'm deeply grateful there's a workaround prior to the issue being corrected.

You have to understand this work-around was found 3 months ago, 3 months before the update has been pushed to production. So we've +1'ed, removed the beta subscriptions (to make other stuff work, only the game properties needing the ctrl-clicks) and awaited an actual fix. Instead, they released it as-is 3 months later.

This is why you shouldn't be optimistic about this getting fixed, even the legendary TTimo showed up but then forgot about us :(

(Also the new UI eats up 2 GB of VRAM for whatever reason, locking it completely from games, now I need a way to somehow downgrade Steam client just to play games... I have Steam on a laptop I haven't used in 2 weeks, can anyone tell me how to copy the Steam client off that laptop to the gaming machine and have it working and not updating?)

[alexzk1]

From what I understand from the log - they did some mess. In settings I have no beta enabled at all, also it is steam-runtime package ...

[alex@mymsi 22:44:53 ~]$ steam-native -no-browser steam.sh[6642]: Running Steam on arch rolling 64-bit steam.sh[6642]: STEAM_RUNTIME is disabled by the user steam.sh[6642]: Can't find 'steam-runtime-check-requirements', continuing anyway [2023-06-19 22:44:56] Startup - updater built Jun 16 2023 01:41:16 [2023-06-19 22:44:56] Startup - Steam Client launched with: '/home/alex/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam' '-no-browser' [2023-06-19 22:44:56] Opted in to client beta 'steampal_stable_9a24a2bf68596b860cb6710d9ea307a76c29a04d' via beta file You are in the 'steampal_stable_9a24a2bf68596b860cb6710d9ea307a76c29a04d' client beta.

[alexzk1]

-vgui option brings back old GUI, but disables chat, mouse clicks are still broken. Change shortcut like Exec=/usr/bin/steam-runtime -vgui

Then it is possible, when steam launched: chmod -x steamwebhelper and kill running instances.

Sure this can be automated to have old "no-browser" behave.

[alexzk1]

#!/bin/bash
NAME=steamwebhelper
HELPER=/home/alex/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/$NAME

chmod +x $HELPER
/usr/bin/steam-runtime -vgui -no-cef-sandbox -cef-single-process &

until pids=$(pidof $NAME)
do   
    sleep 1
done

sleep 10
chmod -x $HELPER

killall -9 $NAME

This works for me as replacement for "-no-browser" (change path to what you have there).

[Lamieur]

-vgui option brings back old GUI

Thank you! I've clicked around for a minute and never tried even launching a game, but so far my VRAM usage is safe from clicking anything within the Steam client (I have previously disabled all the hardware acceleration possible, made no difference in the new UI, but presumably still works on the old one). I'm on Steam beta (because it promised to get rid of the chat window when you have it disabled, but doesn't even deliver what's there in the changelog), so yes, -vgui does everything right, even in the current beta.

Also, it reacts to Alt-F4 by exiting, wow such feature! It's criminal that a program has no button and no shortcut to exit, and Steam just broke the law. This option brings a keyboard shortcut back, which is excellent. My pet peeve, ignore me if you love every program being TSR.

It still makes the whole screen choppy for a while after starting (literally 2 FPS mouse cursor), so I'd still prefer the old version which never did that, but after a minute that stops and we're back in business, "no biggie".

Thanks again! We'll see how long this "exploit" lasts :/

BTW, in Fedora, or presumably any modern Linux distro, it's just steam -vgui. I think steam-runtime is a mutant from Arch. AFAIR, they still keep 3 "versions" that don't differ in any way for years.

[alexzk1]

TSR

Haven't heard that since 1998 about :D

[jansalleine]

I can confirm since the update with the new UI (steam stable branch) every context menu broke. Unfortunately the CTRL (EDIT: or SHIFT) workaround doesn't work on Gnome. Changing the mouse focus behaviour works, but is no option for me as this is also the computer I use for my job.

Only "workaround" is using big picture mode.

This bug is getting really annoying. Please fix!

Arch Linux, X11, Gnome 3.

[ChibaPet]

@jansalleine how about shift as the modifier in question? Works here.

[jansalleine]

@ChibaPet no. SHIFT does also nothing.

[BloodyIron]

Yeah even more pull-down menus are broken on the prod/beta versions of STEAM now. This situation has gotten worse.

Can we get any insight as to whether this is even being looked into at all??? Many of the menus now just literally DO NOT work at all! >:|

[nPHYN1T3]

I think I experienced this today when Launching Steam on 0.0 (because of https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/9300)

If I launch Steam on 0.0 while I can right click things and not have Steam crash or nuke my GPU now the UI clicks "through" to whatever is below the context or drop down menu leaving you to reclick over and over trying to find the magic spot where it will accept the selection.

This is very similar to the issue I have with the What's New BS but it happens all over, again ONLY if I launch Steam on 0.0. If you launch on 0.1 right clicking just crashes the library or writes garbage to your VRAM until your GPU dies...Steam...better with every updegrate.

[MerkaST]

This issue affects me as well on Lubuntu 22.04 with Openbox and click to focus. The workarounds of pressing modifier keys (except Alt) or extra mouse buttons (forward/backward) while clicking work for me. It also works if I press and hold the right mouse button before opening a dropdown, works with right-click menus, too (just keep RMB pressed), @BloodyIron maybe this workaround works for you? Doing some testing with xprop, so far it seems that the menus that do work normally (file menu toolbar and top bar below it) use _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_POPUP_MENU windows (that are always present in the background?), while when trying xprop or xwininfo on the ones that are affected by the issue I only ever get the underlying Steam window. This actually led me to find one menu that isn't such a popup but works normally, which is the library advanced filtering menu. (I had the idea of checking this because my compositor is set to make non-focused windows transparent and this is always triggered when I open one of the normally functioning menus (even back in the old UI), but doesn't happen for the ones affected by this issue.)

[BloodyIron]

WHEN IS THIS GOING TO GET FIXED????

[alexzk1]

There is something - qt based client :D somebody did it: https://github.com/Rosentti/opensteamclient

[nPHYN1T3]

This stuff all shows how Steam has become a jumble of bad decisions. Their support only "supports" you if you run Ubuntu...but then the Steam Deck runs Arch. The Steam Deck runs KDE as the DE and large number of breakages and problems with the Steam client are because they use GTK.

I remember a time when you could not use K and G apps interchangeably. However the ecosystem seems to be moving back that way with GTK breaking so many things to force specific use cases that fit their "organizational direction." Steam is just shooting itself in the foot by using GTK and further alienating users with these breakages and segregation of support and understanding. GTK and its parent organization has become the enemy of user choice...Valve needs to switch to Qt and perhaps stop adding "features" that just make it garbage nagware.

I'm definitely going to keep an eye on opensteam so thanks for the heads up @alexzk1. Now we will see if they can go the distance or if somehow Valve shuts them down or the binary blobs they have to use introduce too many unfixable problems.

[Orthestral]

I've found a workaround for GNOME without disabling focus on hover. You just have to be holding right click as you press left click.

[liambrownweb]

I've found a workaround for GNOME without disabling focus on hover. You just have to be holding right click as you press left click.

I never would have thought of that combination, but I can confirm it works.

[maxz]

You just have to be holding right click as you press left click.

I can also confirm that this works. With Openbox in my case.

[BloodyIron]

Right-click just triggers me to try to bring up another pull-down menu where my mouse is, not enabling the right+left click work-around. For example, if I try to go to properties for a game, right click dismisses the first menu and tries to initiate a new menu at the point I right-clicked at. So not a universal work-around.

[maxz]

Right-click just triggers me to try to bring up another pull-down menu where my mouse is, not enabling the right+left click work-around. For example, if I try to go to properties for a game, right click dismisses the first menu and tries to initiate a new menu at the point I right-clicked at. So not a universal work-around.

You have to keep holding the right mouse button down right from the moment when you right-click e. g. a game in your library. Just never let it go and then navigate to properties and left-click additionally.

[Orthestral]

Right-click just triggers me to try to bring up another pull-down menu where my mouse is, not enabling the right+left click work-around. For example, if I try to go to properties for a game, right click dismisses the first menu and tries to initiate a new menu at the point I right-clicked at. So not a universal work-around.

For context menu in Library: Hold right click on the game, drag to the option, and press left click while still holding right click

For other dropdowns: Start holding right click, left click on the drop-down, and select the option while still holding right click

[BloodyIron]

This work-around still isn't working for me... and really not the point... this really needs to get fixed.

[liambrownweb]

We'd fix it ourselves, but we don't get to see the source code, let alone contribute.

[BloodyIron]

Well that would be a novel thing now wouldn't it? Imagine if they figured out a way, in similar vein to nVidia, whereby parts of STEAM could be open-source, and parts closed-source. Such-that humanity could contribute to the ecosystem.

Perhaps, however, some might take issue with providing free labour to a company making profit. One company I rather admire myself, but I could see the concern around such. But it would reasonably beg the question...

If I were to contribute to the code, what do I get out of it?

I don't know the answer. But I do know know this damn pull-down menu bug is a real PITA and it bugs me pretty much every day. I suppose for that reason alone I wouldn't mind at least trying to see if I could fix it myself. My ego motivates me.

But I digress... this gamer in a tired, drunken stupor, has no means to make this situation better. But maybe, just maybe, I could make someone laugh.

[Lamieur]

Interestingly, here on the main computer I maintain an old pure GTK2 MATE (including marco) and ctrl/shift+click work-around always worked, as well as starting Steam with -vgui (which fixes all my other problems).

But I finally restarted my rarely used laptop with Cinnamon (I guess that means Mutter is the WM), which unfortunately also (finally) updated Steam and now nothing works, even with -vgui (normally only game properties need ctrl-clicks with -vui, but there, other stuff is also broken).

I thought maybe it's some default settings (like gpu accel for web views or whatever). But then, marco --replace helped with ctrl+click, so yes, there definitely are WMs that treat this event differently. Or maybe I changed too much stuff at once :)

[evilphish]

I doubt this is a GTK issue. I run Mint which is based on Ubuntu with Cinnamon (Gnome fork) as DE. I have the same problem but the workaround with holding the right mouse button works. I also have never encountered a similar problem anywhere. Using Linux since the 1990s no application or game has ever shown a similar bug where I was able to open a right click menu but not select a menu item.

[Lamieur]

No no, not GTK, that's not what I'm saying, I was just telling a story ;)

I've just dnf installed marco because I remember the name on that laptop and tested that, but the current version in Fedora is built on GTK 3.24.

So it's just different window managers behaving differently? Basically every user with "focus follows mouse" has this issue, but looks like there are WMs that allow the work-around, and others that don't.

BTW, has anyone tried "SloppyFocusMouse" on Windows? It totally has the option buried somewhere deep, but possible to enable without any third party programs, at least last I checked (which was years ago, I also use Linux and focus follows mouse for 25+ years, we're all in the same boat here, impossible to break that kind of habit! :))

[nPHYN1T3]

I do not use focus follows mouse. More so GTK is 100% the issue for some of my tickets. Most likely not for this issue but the GTK Steam uses absolutely is contributing to breakages. GTk around 3.1 - 3.2 stopped enumerating various things and hard coded 1. So if a user has more than 1...well fun ensues. This is also subject to if a GTK application touches on those hard coded functions. If it doesn't it will run fine with no indication there is a landmine waiting to be stepped on. However if the applications starts to use those things...BOOM! For me if I right click in Steam if Steam is on an XScreen other than 0.0 Steam will either crash the library or start writing garbage to my VRAM until my GPU dies. (Hint GTK hard codes XScreen counts to 1 now.)

[hsantos92]

I fixed mine by deleting everything in my steam installation folder but steamapps and compatibilitytools.d, because I don't want to re-download every game and proton versions. Nothing else worked for me and that click and hold is not it.

I noticed that it was most likely an old theme file that got stuck because I installed a flatpak and deb version without clearing the entire folder and the issue was still there, when I deleted everything and reinstalled, no issue.

[Espionage724]

I ran into UI click issues with Steam (RPM Fusion) on Fedora 38 with GNOME 44. I've had occasional clicking issues with Steam on Linux in the past and kind of just tolerated it since I only do Settings on fresh installs, but it was exceptionally broken with more drop-downs as of a few days ago. GNOME focus mode to click didn't help. Holding both mouse buttons and/or holding some modifer key sometimes helped.

Minor rant

I've been meaning to figure out [SteamCMD](https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD) for a while now, but this UI mess finally pushed me to do it. For the most part I just play bot matches in Dota 2, and all I use Steam for is to occasionally update the game. `steamcmd.sh +login Espionage724 +app_info_update 1` handles that nicely without a busted UI :p SteamCMD is good enough by itself for Dota 2 offline bot matches, but I also drop-in Goldberg to hard-disable network, set offline mode, and to set my username. Is it so hard to just keep the legacy interface available via a flag? Why force a known-broken interface? Who asked for this? Who is this helping? All this has done is push me towards seeking an alternative to bypass Steam.

TLDR: +1/me too and a rant

Edit: Lasted a little over a week before https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Dota-2/issues/2392 now, also Linux-specific. I wonder if other MOBAs are this hard to play?

[nPHYN1T3]

I forgot about SteaCMD and went to read the docs myself but all I get is the endless looping cloudflare verification...I love how everything is broken...insert this is fine meme.

Sidenote this issue has been a problem on the stupid "What's New" UI for me since its implementation. Just now it has spread like a cancer to all other UI elements.